Published Date: 2012-07-28 12:30:22
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> African swine fever - Russia (04): (TV), control measures
Archive Number: 20120728.1218320

AFRICAN SWINE FEVER - RUSSIA (04): (TV), CONTROL MEASURES
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Date: Thu, 26 July 2012
Source: Mercopress.com [edited]
http://en.mercopress.com/2012/07/26/russia-will-sacrifice-33.000-hogs-because-of-african-swine-fever-outbreak

Russia will sacrifice 33 000 hogs because of African swine fever outbreak
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Russian veterinary services have ordered the termination of 33 000 hogs following an outbreak of African swine fever in the region of Tver, in the neighbouring province of the capital Moscow.

The outbreak was detected in farms close to the Moscow province. "The situation is very sad for farmers but we have to sacrifice 33 000 hogs" said Nikolai Vlasov, Deputy Chief of Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance quoted by the Interfax agency.

He added that the settlements belonging to the consortium Ru-Com will also have to be destroyed "since there is no other way to ensure elimination of the infection".

Vlasov admitted the veterinary services fears that the outbreak could spread to a neighbouring farm from the same company where 90 000 hogs are fattened.

"We are not sure of controlling such a situation" said Vlasov who also blamed local officials since they don't have much information and certainly "don't know how to proceed in such a situation, which should have started by calling us immediately".

Russian veterinary services quarantined the area with the infected hog farms and banned all transport of meat produce for the next three months.

The African swine fever, far more devastating and deadly than common swine fever was 1st discovered in Kenya in 1910.

In related news, neighbouring Belarus banned the import of pork from Tver Oblast and Volgograd Oblast, Russia, due to African swine fever outbreak.

Chief State Veterinary Inspector of Belarus Yuri Pivovarchik said the ban extends to the import of live animals, sperm, pork and processed pork products, hides, hoof raw materials, hog hair, and hunter's trophy acquired from susceptible animals.

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[The following relevant commentary is derived from FAO's EMPRES Transboundary Animal Diseases Bulletin No. 40 (Jul 2012):

"African swine fever (ASF) continues to persist in the endemic southern regions of the Russian Federation, affecting backyard holdings and commercial pig production units. During the 1st half of 2012, the virus again jumped out of its endemic zone to the Republic of Karelia, beyond 63° north and 200 km from the border with Finland, and there is now a growing risk of it becoming endemic in the temperate forest zone in the centre of the eastern European plain. Particularly in Tverskaya Oblast, ASF cases in wild boar have been reported for more than a year (since May 2011). If the virus establishes itself in wild boar populations, several countries in the
region - including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine - will be at risk of virus introduction from wildlife".

Since the initial introduction of the virus on Russia's border with Georgia in Nov 2007, 260 outbreaks in domestic and wild swine have been reported from the Russian Federation, throughout vast parts of its European part from south to north; see interactive OIE map at http://web.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=event_summary&reportid=8462 (zoom in).-Mod.AS.

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